My Aunt Barb was here visiting, all the way from Savannah, GA. She and Mom decided to go on a shopping trip to Lancaster Pa and then visit the nearby Amish country. Of course I got go along.
Well, the first day was awful. I dragged around with them from store to store to store. I finally begged to stay in the motel so I could read or watch TV. Mom finally let me, but only after I promised to double lock the door and not open it until she called to tell me she was right outside the door.
At last they were finished shopping! I don't enjoy shopping much. I don't have much money anyway. I spent most of my summer lawn mowing money on the last trip.
Here we are in a town called Bird-in-Hand. The Amish people travel by horse and carriage, right on the roads with all the traffic.
Mom asked me if I'd like to ride in a buggy. Would I ever!! Yes!
We found a place where you can take buggy rides.
These horses pull a big carriage that takes a lot of people. They were waiting for customers.
This is the older of the two horses. He has a lot of experience giving buggy rides. He told me his partner is young and a little flighty, but he is a nice young fellow and is learning fast.
This is the younger horse. He said he likes his job. His partner is kind of bossy, but generally a good guy.
This is the horse and buggy we rode in. The horse's name is Snowball. The owner of the buggies told us that he is a very old horse. It was time for him to retire but when they put him out to pasture to relax and do as he wished, he was miserable. He wouldn't eat. He lost weight. He was very depressed. They put him back to work and he is happy again and gaining weight.
This is me and Aunt Barb waiting for Mom to quit taking pictures and get in.
Off we went. What fun!
We went around an Amish farm. The farms we saw were really big and beautiful, very well cared for. The young woman who was driving told us a lot about the Amish way of life.
She told us they belong to what they call churches, but they don't have actual church buildings. They meet for services every other Sunday at the home of one of the members. The in-between Sunday allows the horses to have a day of rest too.
We noticed that there were some huge fans going in the barns. It was hot that day. The young lady told us that they are powered by generators. She said the Amish do not use electricity but they do have power from windmills and generators.
She said that the men don't grow beards until they get married. Also, married men and single men drive different kinds of buggies.
She told us lots of interesting stuff.
When the ride was over, I got to meet more animals.